


this is why we can’t have nice things

by comebackbehere



Series: Penelope’s Pack [2]
Category: Legacies - Fandom, TVD - Fandom, The Vampire Diaries
Genre: F/F, introducing some awesome oc’s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 01:50:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17633804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comebackbehere/pseuds/comebackbehere
Summary: ‘and i know i make the same mistakes every time. bridges burn, i never learn, at least i did one thing right. i did one thing right.’orthe one where Penelope and Josie just want to keep each other safe. Unfortunately it doesn’t always work out.





	this is why we can’t have nice things

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello! I’m back with some more Posie, couldn’t stay away for too long. This fic is actually an installment that follows in the same universe as phoenix_inthe_fire’s Posie fic. You should definitely check it out!

“Are you watching me sleep?”

 

“...no?”

 

Penelope smiles as she opens an eye to look at her blushing girlfriend, “I feel like you were definitely creeping on me, Jojo.”

 

“Alright. Maybe I was.” Josie huffs as she scoots closer to Penelope. “But can you really blame me? You look so cute and innocent when you sleep. _And_ you’re quiet.”

 

“Well,” Penelope grins as she nuzzles into Josie’s neck. “We have a few hours till class starts, I’ll happily make some noise.”

 

“I don’t think we’ll have time, babe.” Josie frowns with a quick kiss to Penelope’s head. “We only have an hour to grab breakfast.”

 

“Maybe I want to eat something else…”

 

Josie moans in protest as Penelope begins to trail kisses along her neck before she makes her way down her clothed stomach. Penelope drags gentle nips along the creamy skin of Josie’s thigh, and she’s inches away from sliding her hand into the thin material of her sleep shorts when the door practically flies off its hinges. In the doorway, Lizzie and Cameron struggle to get through as they quietly bicker and push each in an effort to be the first through the door. Eventually, Cameron simply picks Lizzie up and sets her back in the hallway before she triumphantly steps into the dorm room and pauses with wide eyes.

 

“Oops?”

 

“Good morning, Camz.” Penelope sighs as she presses one last kiss to Josie’s thigh. “How did you know I was here?”

 

“Sofiá said you snuck out of your room last night, and this is the only place I could think of...plus it’s Josie and you love snuggling with her.” Cameron coos with a flutter of her lashes. “Now, get up. It’s waffle day.”

 

“And!” Lizzie exclaims as she attempts to shoulder past Cameron, but the action simply sends her teetering back into the door. “We have two very impatient parents waiting for us.”

 

Josie quickly sits up and sends Penelope rolling onto the floor, “Is mom here?”

 

Lizzie smiles happily, “Mom is here.”

 

Penelope rubs her head as she sits up from where she is sprawled and watches as her girlfriend basically flies off the bed and towards her uniform. A huff leaves her as Josie changes in front of Cameron, not that her best friend is paying attention, but it’s still the principal of the matter. Josie smiles happily as she slips on her shoes and dances around to where her girlfriend is lying. With a gentle pull, Penelope is back on her feet and she barely has time to return the kiss Josie leaves on her lips before she turns to disappear with Lizzie close at her heels.

 

Penelope shakes her head, “So...waffle day?”

 

-

 

“Mom!”

 

Caroline smiles happily as Josie comes flying across the room, “There’s my baby girl. How are you doing?”

 

“So much better now that you’re here.” Josie mumbles into the crook of her neck. “I missed you _so_ much, Mom.”

 

“I know, Jo.” Caroline sighs as she presses a soft kiss to messy brown hair. “I missed you too. Both you and your sister.”

 

Josie sniffles as she pulls back, “Why are you here?”

 

“Your father and I have a few questions, questions about a boy you hang around.” Caroline replies as she gestures for them to sit. “His name is Milton Gladstone, but he goes by…”

 

“MG.” Lizzie and Josie cut in.

 

Caroline trades a frown with Alaric, “Yes.”

 

“What about him?” Josie demands.

 

“It seems that another student convinced him to feed on a human that he compelled to the campus yesterday.” Alaric sighs as he leans his hands on his desk. “Unfortunately, the student wasn’t able to keep MG in line and he fled.”

 

Lizzie gaps in horror, “MG isn’t like that!”

 

“Sometimes blood lust takes over, sweetheart. No matter how amazing of a person they are, there are times when blood wins.” Caroline sighs. “I’m so sorry that it’s your friend.”

 

“I just…” Lizzie trails off. “I’m so confused.”

 

“Mom. Wait.” Josie breathes out as she turns her wide eyes to her mother. “MG ran away? You can’t find him?”

 

Caroline shakes her head, “No, baby.”

 

“And he’s on a binge?” Lizzie squeaks.

 

“Yes.” Caroline nods, and she sees the way the twins fidget. “I know what you’re both thinking and sadly you’re right, MG has become a ripper. An impressive one.”

 

Josie shakes her head, “What do we _do_?”

 

“That’s where your mom comes in.” Alaric nods with a grin. “She’s going to assist Hope in tracking MG this evening.”

 

Lizzie huffs, “Why did you ask _Hope?_  Josie and I are perfectly capable of helping you guys, you don’t need her.”

 

“Hey, we’re not putting her above you.” Caroline assures her. “She just has the nose of a wolf and the mind of a witch, your father and I just figured it’d be helpful.”

 

“Take us with you.” Lizzie orders.

 

“Absolutely not!”

 

Josie winces as both her parents shout out the words, “Lizzie is kind of right, we want to be there to help. MG knows us.”

 

“Honey,” Caroline sighs as she squats in front of her daughter. “The MG you two know isn’t going to look at you and snap out of his binge, all he’s going to see is someone else to feed on.”

 

“I don’t want you to leave us here.” Josie murmurs as she reaches out to play with a strand of Caroline’s hair. “Lizzie and I would be safer with you and dad.”

 

Caroline considers it for a moment, “Okay.”

 

“Caroline…”

 

“She has a point, Ric. I know our girls.” Caroline sighs as she stands. “If we don’t take them, they’ll just figure out a way to follow us.”

 

Lizzie beams, “We totally would.”

 

“Fine.” Alaric growls. “But the two of you don’t leave our sides, if you’re not with me then I expect you to be with your mother.”

 

Josie smiles softly, “Family bonding.”

 

“Yeah, baby. Family bonding.” Caroline chuckles with an adoring expression. “You two get going, okay? Head off to your classes.”

 

Josie gives her mother a quick kiss before she leaves Lizzie behind in the office. Now that the adrenaline of the moment has faded, she’s realizing what’s happening. MG is a _ripper_. He’s killing people and now she’s going to be hunting someone she considers her best friend. All she can think about is how much Penelope is going to hate this plan.

 

-

 

**Ironman [5:43 PM]: Are you busy?**

 

Penelope yawns as she sits up from where she is dogpiled in the middle of her friends. With a tilt of her head, she removes Isabella’s arm from her waist and slams a palm against Cameron’s face to push her off her torso. Once she is free, Penelope smiles softly at her cellphone background that displays a photo of Josie blowing her a kiss. For a moment, she gets lost in staring at it. She finds that she gets lost in staring at Josie _a lot._ Not that anyone could really blame her, her girlfriend is breathtakingly beautiful.

 

**Hawkeye [5:44 PM]: Not particularly…..why?**

 

With a glance over her shoulder, she watches as her best friends close the space she created and continue to nap on. She figures she should wake them, they only have an hour before dinner and she knows for a fact that Isabella and Cameron are going to be ready to swallow every plate they can get their hands on. But they’re kind of adorable when they’re like this, quiet and sleeping. Finally, Penelope decides to leave them alone and instead focuses on pulling her hair into a messy bun.

 

**Ironman [5:46 PM]: My room. Now.**

 

**Hawkeye [5:48 PM]: You do know I’m dating Josie, right? Like, that’s my future wife. You may be hot, but I’m not fucking that up.**

 

**Hawkeye [5:48 PM]: 😘😘😘**

 

**Ironman [5:50 PM]: In your dreams, Park. We need to talk about something and it’s pretty serious. It involves Josie.**

 

**Hawkeye [5:50 PM]: Omw**

 

A ball of dread settles low in her gut, festers with each step she takes as she clears the distance between her dorm and Hope’s. She finds her friend slowly pacing with a furrowed brow and a nervous frown. It’s unnerving. This is Hope, she spends half her life scowling in an attempt to hide the pain in her eyes. But right now Penelope can see a thousand emotions that rush like a flurry over her face as she turns to face her. Hope motions for her to shut the door and the click of it closing is much too loud for Penelope not to cringe in slight worry.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“I need to tell you something, but you can’t tell anyone.” Hope orders as she narrows her eyes at Penelope. “Avengers promise?”

 

Penelope tilts her head, “Of course.”

 

“It’s MG.”

 

“What about him…?”

 

Hope sighs as she latches onto Penelope’s wrist and begins to drag her towards the bed, “Do you know what a ripper is?”

 

“Yeah. Of course. Josie said that her mom’s husband was a ripper, a famous one.” Penelope shrugs. “They’re like wicked insane and...holy fucking popsicle...did a ripper get to MG?”

 

“No.” Hope sighs. “MG _is_ the ripper.”

 

Penelope pauses for only a moment before she releases a loud laugh, “You can’t be serious. This is _MG._ He’s a...he’s a baby, he’s innocent. He would never do something like that. Rippers are vicious, they’re _monsters_.”

 

“Kaleb apparently convinced him to feed off a human, and he wouldn’t stop. He _hasn’t_ stopped. Alaric has been tracking him, but he lost him last night.” Hope frowns. “He called in Caroline to help find him before this turns ugly.”

 

“How much worse can it get?” Penelope exclaims as she stands from the bed. “He’s out there _killing_ people, Hope. Our Thor. Our innocent Thor. Why would he...he wouldn’t...are you _sure_?”

 

“He’s left a pile of bodies, P.” Hope whispers as she stands in front of her. “We’re supposed to go out tonight and look for him.”

 

Penelope tenses, “We?”

 

“Yeah. Alaric, Caroline, me, and the twins.” Hope nods. “We’re going to scout out the town, and if we find him then we leave the dirty work to Caroline and hope for the best.”

 

“Why the hell is Josie going?” Penelope demands.

 

“Wow. Thank you for the concern about _me_.” Hope huffs. “Caroline and Alaric want them as close as possible, to keep them safe. There’s no better way to do that than to take them with us.”

 

Penelope curls her hands into fists, “So, they think it’s intelligent to bring their _human_ daughter on a man hunt for a fucking ripper? Are they that fucking stupid?”

 

“...so, we’re just going to ignore Lizzie going too?”

 

“Yes. I don’t care about her.” Penelope shrugs and Hope nods in understanding. “I’m serious, Hope. This is the worst plan I’ve ever heard, and that’s coming from someone who convinced Cameron to jump through a window to distract a teacher so I could change my grade.”

 

Hope arches an eyebrow, “ _That_ was a horrible plan on your part.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I make bad plans. We all know that.” Penelope waves off. “But I’m serious about this one, it’s stupid and dangerous.”

 

“I know. I don’t support it, but Alaric said he has every intention of protecting me while Caroline keeps the girls safe.” Hope assures her. “I know it isn’t ideal, but we have to find MG. This is kind of dire at this point.”

 

Penelope claws a hand through her hair, “Is there any way I would be able to join this little search crew? Any way they’ll take me?”

 

Hope cringes, “I doubt it. Alaric had to deal with my Aunt Keelin swearing him into oblivion if anything happens to me. So, I doubt he’ll want to deal with another set of angry parents.”

 

“Look,” Penelope chuckles as she takes a step towards Hope. “My parents adore me, but they realize I have a separate life here and they respect that. All it will take is a pout and a promise and I’ll be good to go.”

 

“I…”

 

“What are you guys talking about?”

 

Penelope fights a smile as arms drape around her waist and a chin rests on her shoulder, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

 

“Hence the reason I asked.” Josie whispers into her ear, and Penelope simply giggles and squirms against her. “So, are you going to tell me or is it official Avengers business?”

 

“How did you even find me?” Penelope asks.

 

“I may or may not have thrown an apple into the middle of your pack and it woke them up, Cameron sniffed you out.” Josie shrugs as she pulls back to look between them. “So, are you going to fill me in…?”

 

Hope heaves a breath, “I was just telling her about MG.”

 

“Why would you tell her?” Josie demands as her eyes narrow dangerously, and she watches as Hope shrinks back. “She didn’t need to know.”

 

Hope gaps, “I wasn’t supposed to tell her?”

 

“ _You_ weren’t going to?” Penelope snaps.

 

Josie swallows hard as Penelope turns to look at her with a confused scowl, “It’s not like that, Penny. I _was_ going to tell you, I was just going to wait until after tonight.”

 

“You’re going out to look for MG...and he’s a _ripper_. He’s dangerous.” Penelope drawls. “You should want to tell me these things, Josie. I should be the first person you want to tell.”

 

“Not everything is about you…”

 

“I’m not making it about me!” Penelope exclaims as she throws her hands up. “I’m making it about _us_. How do you think I would feel if something happened to you and I didn’t know? I was just stuck here clueless. How would you feel if I did that to you?”

 

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t.” Josie scolds. “You and your friends wreck havoc almost every day and you do the most idiotic things. Don’t stand there and act all self righteous.”

 

Penelope blinks in shock, “Me being concerned for your safety is considered self righteous? Well, fuck me. I must not have learned that growing up.”

 

Josie flexes her jaw as she crosses her arms over her chest, “Can you leave your sarcastic quips out of this? I deal with them enough.”

 

“You know what? I know why you’re acting like this. I see it all over your face.” Penelope scoffs with a smile of disbelief. “You can’t stand the fact that I called you out, that you’re wrong. You know that you not telling me is wrong, and you just don’t want to admit it.”

 

“I…just stay in your dorm till we get back and it’s safe...” Josie trails off. “Penny, please.”

 

“You know what? You can go. Don’t let me stop you.” Penelope sneers as she begins to back away. “I’m so sorry that I want to keep you safe, Josie. Excuse me for giving a fuck.”

 

Penelope leaves, and Josie doesn’t chase her.

 

-

 

“What’s wrong with you?”

 

Penelope glances up from her homework, “What are you talking about?”

 

“Come on, P.” Cameron scoffs as she sits up from her spot in Reyna’s lap. “I know you like the back of my hand, I can tell something is on your mind. So, spill.”

 

“There’s nothing…”

 

“What’s the rule, P?” Sofiá scolds as she tilts her head. “No secrets in the pack. Once again, what’s wrong with you?”

 

“Josie and I got into a fight.” Penelope shrugs as she abandons her textbook. “And I expected her to follow me, to chase me, but she just let me go. Like she always does.”

 

Isabella frowns, “Why do I feel like you’re leaving out a huge part of this? You guys have been doing _so_ good.”

 

“I…”

 

Cameron hums in her throat, “No lies.”

 

“Okay. So, we were arguing about someone. You heard the rumors going around, right? About the ripper?” Penelope asks, and she cringes as they all nod. “So, I kinda know who the ripper is. We’re kinda friends.”

 

Isabella gaps, “Who is it?”

 

“MG.” Penelope sighs, and the frustration seeps through her. “And Josie is supposed to go looking for him, and she _ordered_ me to basically stay in my dorm till he’s back safely on campus.”

 

“Ah. I get it.” Cameron smirks. “You don’t like the idea of someone telling you what to do, and you don’t want to listen. So, what’s the plan? Tell us what to do, and consider it done.”

 

Penelope looks at the four eager smiles, “I want us to have our own stake out, even if it means we just sit around all night watching Netflix. I don’t want Josie out there by herself.”

 

“But there will be a better chance of her getting eaten if she...and I’m shutting up.” Sofiá hisses as Isabella pinches her thigh.

 

“I can’t just send her off with _Lizzie_ , right? That would be basically spousal abuse.” Penelope huffs as she bites her lower lip. “I was thinking we could just crash their stake out.”

 

“They do have every possible entrance into town covered, right?” Reyna yawns. “I mean, how else do you think Sofiá and I stumbled our sexy asses right into this hell hole? We went scrambling through the forest.”

 

Sofiá arches an eyebrow, “I ate a lot of squirrels.”

 

“She really did.” Reyna mumbles.

 

“I don’t think they even considered the forest. But that’s smart, _really_ smart.” Penelope hums. “I don’t really know what sort of state of mind rippers are in, but MG knows the grounds and different ways into town. I’ll text Josie and let her know that we have an idea.”

 

Isabella shakes her head, “Go straight to the main source. Bring it up to her dad, offer us up to help. I mean, we’re a pack of supernatural freaks. We can take care of ourselves.”

 

“We’re also students…”

 

“With no parents.” Sofiá cuts in, and she quickly places a protective hand on Isabella’s thigh. “I mean, besides you. I love Mama Francis and I would lay down my life for her.”

 

“You’d lay down your life for that pie she makes, don’t get it twisted.” Isabella grins, and Sofiá simply flushes as she falls into her lap. “I say we take it to Josie’s dad and see what he thinks. If he gives us the go ahead then there’s nothing she can do about it.”

 

Penelope hesitates, “That’s manipulative.”

 

“P…”

 

“And it’s right up my alley!” Penelope exclaims as she scrambles off the bed. “What are you waiting for, bitches? Let’s go!”

 

-

 

Penelope can’t help but think how badass they must look as they push into the headmaster’s office with a sway to their hips and smirks on their faces. They won this battle, Alaric had practically folded the moment Penelope offered her and her pack up. Hope rolls her eyes and fights a smile the moment she sees them and Lizzie is annoyed up until she sees Reyna fold her arms over her chest and flex through the dark leather of her jacket. The excitement of the moment dies down when Penelope spots Josie who looks at her with pleading and horror.

 

“Sorry we’re late.” Sofiá hums as she twists a strand of Isabella’s hair around her finger. “We couldn’t find our matching jackets.”

 

Alaric flashes her an unamused frown, “This isn’t a game, girls. This is serious and I need to know that the five of you are taking it as it is, and that means accepting this is dangerous.”

 

Cameron nods, “Of course we are.”

 

“Dad, what’s going on?” Josie demands.

 

Alaric places a calming hand on her shoulder, “I had a very interesting conversation with the girls earlier and they offered to help us find MG. We of course got permission from their guardians, and they’re going to keep watch at the forest.”

 

“You didn’t mention this.” Lizzie huffs.

 

“It’s a good idea.” Caroline assures her. “We’re going to be so busy protecting the town that we won’t have time to bother with anything else. The girls are a huge help.”

 

“Or they could cause trouble.” Lizzie mumbles with a glare. “All they do is destroy things, I have no doubt they’ll mess this up too.”

 

“Hey. That’s enough.” Caroline scolds as she flashes Lizzie a glare. “We’re accepting their help, and we should be grateful they’re offering it. So, drop the attitude.”

 

Josie steps away from her father and crosses the room to gather Penelope in her arms, “I can’t believe you convinced him to let you go, you really have a way of persuasion.”

 

“I figured you’d be angrier than this. So, are you planning to run with the pack? And by pack I mean _me_ because fuck them.” Penelope smirks, and a small laugh leaves her when she sees four middle fingers go up.

 

Josie sighs as she burrows into her girlfriend with a defeated expression, “You know Lizzie will insist it’ll be better if I go with her and our parents, she’ll whine about how it’ll be safer that way.”

 

“Of course she will.” Penelope snorts as she pushes herself away from Josie. “I mean, how could _I_ ever protect you?”

 

“That’s not fair.” Josie hisses as she sees Cameron stepping towards them. “I could easily ask you the same thing. Come with me and I can protect you, Penny.”

 

“You can’t protect her. Not like I can.” Cameron sneers as she takes a slow step forward, her eyes gleaming. “She’s better off with her pack, you can trust us.”

 

Josie nods slowly, “I’m trying.”

 

“Hey, can you go check with Ms. Forbes about what time we should head out?” Cameron hums, and Penelope arches an eyebrow and turns to do as she was asked. “You don’t have to try to trust us, we’ve never let anything happen to her and we’re not going to start now.”

 

“Cameron.” Josie breathes as she steps into the alpha’s space. “Keep her beside you the entire time, okay? She’s reckless. She’s...Penelope says she’s selfish, but she’s not. She’ll throw herself in front of a vampire to save you.”

 

Cameron nods, “I’ll keep her safe.”

 

“Okay.” Josie whispers, and Cameron startles at the fire that burns in dark eyes. “Because if something happens to her, I will _destroy_ you.”

 

“Well, you can try.” Reyna cuts in as she towers over Josie. “But it wouldn’t be a fair fight, you don’t quite have a pack like ours.”

 

“Hey, down puppy.” Sofiá orders with a smirk as she gives Reyna a shove. “We agreed not to show any prejudice against humans, remember? We have our own human.”

 

Isabella winks teasingly, “Penelope is a _queen_.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. She’s so very perfect. Can we get this show on the road?” Lizzie growls as she storms towards them. “Our parents and Hope are waiting for us.”

 

“If anything happens to her, Lizzie,” Penelope mutters with a shake of her head. “It won’t just be your world I burn to pieces, it’ll be the _entire_ world that goes up in flames.”

 

Lizzie rolls her eyes, “Always one for dramatics. Josie, I don’t feel like listening to another speech from your girlfriend. Let’s go.”

 

“Okay.” Josie nods. “Give me five minutes.”

 

“I’ll give you two.” Lizzie snaps, but her expression softens as Reyna looks towards her. “Fine. Five minutes and then we have to go.”

 

Penelope closes the distance between her and Josie and immediately reaches out to frame her face and pull her into a gentle kiss. It’s amazing how much she loves this girl, how she’ll do anything to make sure she’s safe and happy. Sometimes it scares her how Josie has become the center of her universe, how she’s become the one thing that can stop Penelope’s heart with a breathtaking smile. Penelope sighs softly as she draws her mouth away from Josie’s and takes a small step back.

 

“I’m sorry.” Josie whispers as she tucks a finger into the front of Penelope’s jeans and pulls her closer. “I should’ve told you about what was going on. You deserved to know.”

 

Penelope tracks her own hand as she sweeps a strand of hair from Josie’s face, “It’s okay. I forgive you. I’m just glad that I can at least be out there helping you.”

 

“I wish you weren’t.” Josie admits as she nervously toys with the zipper on Penelope’s jeans. “I want you _here._  I want you safe, I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you.”

 

“Hey.” Penelope whispers as she uses her fingers to gently guide Josie’s gaze to hers. “You’re not going to lose me. Not today, not ever. I’m going to be perfectly fine.”

 

“He’s a _ripper_ , Penelope.” Josie snaps as she pushes Penelope’s hand from her face. “You’re a _human._ If he catches your scent, he’ll come after you. I can’t...I _won’t_ lose you.”

 

Penelope gaps, “Josie, you’re a human too.”

 

“I’ll have my parents!”

 

“And I’ll have my pack.”

 

Josie flexes her jaw, “You can’t rely on them forever, Penelope. I’m just...I’m trying to protect you. Why can’t you see that? The further you are from this, the better.”

 

“How can you think that I’m okay that _you’re_ involved, Jojo?” Penelope scoffs. “MG is my friend too, and I want to help. We’re just staking out the forest, we aren’t even going anywhere near town and that’s bound to be where he is.”

 

Josie shakes her head, “Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

 

“It’s what you love about me.” Penelope shrugs as she gently pulls Josie into her arms. “I’m going to be fine. I promise.”

 

“You’ll come back to me in one piece?” Josie pouts as she tucks a strand of hair behind Penelope’s ear. “Not a hair out of place?”

 

Penelope laughs softly, “And ruin the gorgeous lob you created when you were grossly angry at me for breaking up with you? Never.”

 

“Josie! Come on!” Lizzie calls.

 

“I have to go.” Josie murmurs as she ducks her head to press a gentle kiss to Penelope’s smiling lips. “Be careful. Please.”

 

“Always, Jojo.” Penelope smirks.

 

-

 

“Throw one more thing at me and I will devour you, you stupid witch.” Sofiá growls as she shakes off a layer of rock dust. “Why don’t you go jump off a cliff or something?”

 

Isabella nudges her, “Be nice.”

 

“ _She’s_ being mean.” Sofiá grumbles.

 

“This is getting boring.” Reyna sighs.

 

“Agreed.” Penelope nods. “Maybe we should take a closer look, see if we can find anything. We’re wasting our time just sitting here.”

 

“We agreed with Alaric to stay at our post. No going into town, Penball.” Cameron hums with a small smirk. “So, sit your ass back down and watch Netflix.”

 

“You suck.” Penelope grumbles as she grabs her abandoned phone.

 

**Penny [10:34 PM]: What are you wearing? 😏😏**

 

**Jojo [10:37 PM]: 🙄🙄🙄**

 

**Jojo [10:37 PM]: Are you okay?**

 

**Penny [10:39 PM]: Eh. I’m bored. We’re just sitting here eating Doritos and watching Sex Education on Netflix. Good times 👍🏼😬**

 

**Jojo [10:39 PM]: At least your ear isn’t being talked off by Lizzie 🙃🙃 she hasn’t stopped talking about some guy named Jake?**

 

**Jojo[10:40 PM]: James? John? Something with a J**

 

**Penny [10:42 PM]: lmaoooooo**

 

**Penny [10:44 PM]: ...so, what are you wearing?**

 

**Jojo [10:44 PM]: Clothes.**

 

**Penny [10:45 PM]: 🥺🥺🥺**

 

**Penny [10:46 PM]: I miss you.**

 

**Penny [10:46 PM]: Yuck.**

 

**Jojo [10:47 PM]: I miss you.**

 

**Jojo [10:47 PM]: Gross.**

 

**Penny [10:48 PM]: ❤️😍**

 

“Do you smell that?” Cameron demands as she straightens. “God. It’s so fucking strong. There’s something near.”

 

Reyna bares her teeth, “It’s human blood.”

 

“Oh thank God.” Sofiá whines as she jumps to her feet, and shrugs at the looks she gets. “I’m not thrilled some innocent stupid human died, but it gives us something to do.”

 

Cameron hesitates, “We shouldn’t…”

 

“There’s a chance that we can corner MG and help him.” Penelope points out as she abandons her buzzing phone. “I don’t care what Alaric told us about boundaries or what Josie threatened you with, I’m going after him.”

 

“Fine.” Cameron sighs, but she quickly approaches Penelope. “You stay close, do you understand me? And by close, I want you so far up our asses that we can’t tell if it’s you or a butt plug. I won’t let you get hurt.”

 

Penelope chuckles, “Deal.”

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Penelope doesn’t even bother to grab her phone as they turn to disappear into the darkness of the forest.

 

**Jojo [10:51 PM]: Are you staying at my dorm tonight?**

 

**Jojo [10:53 PM]: Babe????**

 

**Jojo [11:00 PM]: ...Penny?**

 

**Jojo [11:12 PM]: PENELOPE ELIZABETH PARK! Answer me or so help me…**

 

**Jojo [11:15 PM]: Penelope?**

 

-

 

“Holy shit!” Penelope yells.

 

“Holy fucking balls!” Sofiá nods.

 

“So many holy balls!” Cameron exclaims.

 

The pack races amongst the trees as they try to avoid the vampire that is trailing them with loud desperate hisses. Turns out that rippers aren’t fond of being interrupted in the middle of feeds, and now they have turned into the prey. If anyone else was in their shoes, they’d be panicking. Crying. They’d be stuck in horror at the sight of a torn neck and red eyes staring at them. But the pack didn’t even consider it, they turned on their heels and booked it. Cameron rushes forward to swing herself over a tree as Sofiá pauses to help Penelope do the same.

 

“You should’ve left my human ass in the truck!”

 

“Oh, fuck off.” Cameron breathes out. “Knowing our luck, you’d be drained and left lifeless. Plus, this is so much more fun!”

 

“Speak for yourself!” Isabella argues as she scampers up a tree and into the branches. “I need to start doing more cardio.”

 

Sofiá glances up at her girlfriend with an adoring smile on her face, “You never seem to have bad stamina when we…”

 

“And that is something I really don’t want to know about, ladies.” Reyna scolds as she hauls Penelope onto her back. “You gotta pick it up, little witch. We got a vamp after us.”

 

“You gonna be able to carry me?” Penelope demands as she circles her legs around her best friend’s hips. “I don’t want to slow you down.”

 

“I’m wounded you’d think that you, a tiny feather of a human, would weigh me down.” Reyna smirks as she scampers over a fallen trunk. “We need to get you somewhere safe.”

 

“I’m not leaving you guys.” Penelope argues.

 

“You don’t have the ability to fight this...thing. Camz will be devastated if anything happens to you, and she made a promise to your girl. You’re going back to campus.” Reyna declares. “Don’t even bothering arguing.”

 

“You can’t lead MG back to campus, there’s too many younger years there.” Penelope argues as she head butts Reyna’s temple. “You gotta lure him further into the forest.”

 

Reyna huffs in agreement, “Turn west, we can’t let this dude get near campus or town. We’re better off bringing him to the center of a clearing.”

 

“I’m not risking my life trying to fight this fucker. I have plans this weekend.” Sofiá warns as she perches on an upper branch.

 

Isabella lands beside her, “We can go ice skating any other weekend, Sof. Save the town now, think about dates later.”

 

Sofiá considers it, “ _Fine._ Let’s go!”

 

The blur of the trees is exhilarating as she clings to Reyna, but the excitement is short lived as she feels something pushing them down. It takes her a moment to realize that the something is a _someone._ It’s Cameron. They crash through the branches and Reyna quickly shifts her to guard her from damage as they hit a clearing and Reyna tosses her to a patch of soft grass. Penelope groans as she finally stops rolling and she pushes herself up as she sees Cameron shifting, her white fur erupting from her body as her spine cracks until she is in full form.

 

“Son of a fucking turtle.” Sofiá whines as she crouches and looks around. “He’s circling us, trying to find where the weakest is.”

 

Isabella looks back at Penelope, “Stay back.”

 

“This is going to hurt.” Reyna warns as she turns back to grasp Penelope’s shoulders before she pushes hard. “Sorry, little witch!”

 

Penelope’s gasp turns into a moan of pain as her back collides with a tree and her head collides with the bark. The entire world is spinning as she crawls frantically through the thorny edges of a bush in search of a place to hide. A squeal barely passes her lips as she feels a hand curl around her ankle before she sinks her fingers into the damp soil and tries to claw away from the touch. A scream breaks free as she is violently drawn from the bush that tears through her jacket and leaves cuts along her biceps. The world spins once more as strong arms pin her to a tree and she is met with the dangerous gleam of red eyes.

 

“MG?” Penelope whimpers.

 

Penelope is met with a hiss of acknowledgement as her friend zeros in on the steady thrum of her heartbeat. The sight of gleaming teeth has Penelope squirming as she slams her palm against MG’s jaw in an effort to keep him from getting anywhere near her neck. His touch tightens and she can already feel the way her skin bruises beneath his rough touch. Slobber and blood coat her palm as she continues to fight his touch until he finally turns to sink his teeth into her wrist until she is screaming in pain.

 

The rush of endorphins causes her senses to go wild as her body begins to sink against the tree. MG continues to dig into her wrist as he pushes his fangs further into her skin in search of a vein. But before he can even begin to drain the life from her, a blur of grey comes barreling through the air and takes MG with it. Penelope can barely speak as she sinks and tries to fight the web of darkness that edges around her vision. She turns her head to see the watery image of Isabella desperately trying to pin MG down as he struggles against her dangerous bite.

 

“Don’t...MG…”

 

Penelope stays awake long enough to feel Cameron nudge her nose against her, and she swears she hears a pained howl follow.

 

-

 

“...fine, right?”

 

“...time will…”

 

“...wake up…”

 

The words around her sound so far away and Penelope tries desperately to ignore them as she squeezes her eyes and tries to fight through the burn in her wrist. A groan leaves her and she can already feel bodies surrounding her as she slowly allows her eyes to open. Around her, worried gazes stare down at her and she tries to smile as her pack sink in relief at her awakening. Penelope attempts to sit up, but a hand slams against her shoulder and she grunts as her back makes painful contact with the bed.

 

“Be careful, Sof!”

 

“She was trying to sit up!” Sofiá huffs.

 

“My head hurts.” Penelope groans as she attempts to lift her hand only to pause with a wince. “What the fuck happened?”

 

“Well, you almost became a badass vampire. Like, seconds away from it.” Sofiá scoffs as she drapes an arm around Isabella’s shoulder. “My girl jumped in and stopped him from draining you.”

 

“He just...he cut your wrist open.” Cameron explains as she squeezes Penelope’s hand. “He didn’t actually get any venom in your system, you were just unconscious from blood loss.”

 

“Oh.” Penelope mumbles. “Is he okay?”

 

“Yeah. They wouldn’t let me rip his throat out. Something about murder.” Isabella sighs as she rolls her eyes. “He’s underground, Alaric and Caroline chained him up.”

 

“Fuck, Penball.” Cameron whispers as she wipes away the tears on her cheek. “You scared us breathless.”

 

Sofiá bites her lip and nods, “Bella almost killed him, it took me and Reyna to pull her off. She was absolutely livid.”

 

“He hurt you.” Isabella mumbles as her cheeks color. “We didn’t get to you in time, it was like the world stopped turning for a second and it took us a minute to catch up.”

 

“It shouldn’t have happened.” Reyna nods with a firm scowl. “We were reckless and we let our senses wander, it wasn’t till you screamed that we realized he had managed to grab you.”

 

Penelope blinks drowsily, “S’not your fault.”

 

“It kinda is, little witch.” Reyna murmurs.

 

“Wait…” Penelope grumbles as she struggles to sit up again, and Isabella slaps Sofiá’s hand down as it goes to push her. “Where’s Josie? Is she okay? Did something happen to her?”

 

“What? No. She’s fine.” Cameron assures her and Penelope falls back in relief. “Caroline said she wanted to be the one to talk to Josie about what happened, she’ll be here soon.”

 

“Tell her...tell her I’m sorry…”

 

The morphine in her system slowly draws her back in and Penelope doesn’t fight the way it pulls her into the darkness. Much to her irritation, she is given less than twenty minutes of peace before her brain is able to pick up on voices. A new voice. The voice she loves. Penelope whimpers as she desperately guides herself out of the state she’s in, her mind desperate to catch up with reality. Finally, her eyes pull open and she sees Josie facing off with Cameron and the rest of her friends.

 

“You said you’d protect her.” Josie growls as she gives Cameron a shove, and the alpha barely stumbles back. “I _trusted_ you, and you still almost let her die.”

 

“Hey, don’t you dare put this all on her.” Sofiá scolds as she blurs between them. “We were _all_ responsible for Penelope’s safety, and we fucked up. But you need to realize that Penelope _wanted_ to help, she wanted to put herself in the middle of this because of _you._ ”

 

“And what if he drained her?” Josie demands, and Penelope can hear the tears in her voice. “What if he had _killed_ her?”

 

Reyna meets her gaze, “I would’ve turned her.”

 

Josie shakes her head, “No. You don’t get to make that kind of decision.”

 

“If he would’ve drained her, it wouldn’t be a _decision_. It would be a necessity.” Isabella corrects with a small frown. “I’m sure you’d rather her be a vampire than dead.”

 

Cameron pinches the bridge of her nose, “Look, this fighting isn’t getting us anywhere. We all made mistakes, including Penelope. Somehow we were all in the wrong tonight.”

 

“Jojo?”

 

Josie turns on her heels with wide eyes, “Penny?”

 

“You guys are talking _so_ loud.” Penelope whines as she scrunches her nose. “I just wanna sleep a little longer.”

 

Josie releases a soft sob as she crosses the room and cups Penelope’s face so she can scatter kisses along her smooth skin. Penelope can’t hide her smile as her girlfriend pulls back and looks at her with so much relief, so much love, in her dark eyes. It’s a look that Penelope wants to see forever, it’s a warmth that she wants to bask in for the rest of her life. Tears wet Josie’s cheeks as she rests her forehead against Penelope’s and allows their lips to brush together.

 

“Hi.” Penelope whispers.

 

Josie gives a wet laugh, “Hi, baby.”

 

“MG tried to eat me.” Penelope huffs, and her lower lip puckers as Josie pulls away. “He wasn’t very nice, Jojo.”

 

“I know, Penny. My mom and dad are going to help him fight this.” Josie assures her as she sits on the edge of the bed. “I’m just relieved your okay, I was so terrified when my mom told me what happened. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

 

Penelope smiles and lazily reaches up to tap playfully at Josie’s nose, “Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t die.”

 

“Yes it is.” Josie laughs as she pulls Penelope’s hand to her chest. “I would’ve killed you myself if you died.”

 

“That...makes no sense…”

 

“Shut up.” Josie giggles.

 

Penelope smiles happily and turns her head to see her little huddle of friends, “Don’t be mad at each other, m’kay? I’m okay.”

 

“I guess we all have something in common,” Sofiá sighs with a playful roll of her eyes. “We’d all be a mess if something happened to you.”

 

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, bitches.”

 

With those teasing words, Penelope finally  gives into her exhaustion with the calming knowledge that the people she loves with all of her heart are all safe.

 

-

 

“Will you put me down, you psycho?”

 

Cameron laughs and drops Penelope onto the safety of her bed, “You looked like a frail grandma hobbling your way down the hall.”

 

“I resent that statement.” Penelope huffs.

 

“I can’t believe he did all of this to you in the span of three minutes.” Cameron whispers as she eyes the bruises, bandages, and gauze. “I should’ve gotten a hold of him. P, I almost lost it.”

 

Penelope squirms in her bed and attempt to elevate her sprained ankle, “What do you mean you almost lost it?”

 

“You’re practically my sister.” Cameron shrugs as she crawls onto the bed. “I fucking _adore_ you, you helped me through so much shit and I let him do this to you. I let you get hurt.”

 

“Hey, you didn’t _let_ this happen. It just...it just did, okay? You can try and mule it over and try to come up with a thousand different scenarios, but it won’t change the events.” Penelope whispers as she nudges her best friend. “Don’t ever lose control over me, I’ll always be alright in the end.”

 

Cameron lifts a pinky, “Swear.”

 

“Swear.”

 

-

 

“So, are you ignoring me or are you really that into the same page you’ve been staring at for the last forty five minutes?”

 

Sofiá startles, “Huh?”

 

“Well, normally I can’t get you to shut the fuck up but you’ve barely said three words since you dropped my homework off.” Penelope hums. “Do you wanna tell me what’s going on?”

 

“It’s nothing…”

 

“It’s _something_. I know you, Sof.” Penelope stresses. “I can always tell when something’s wrong because those big blue eyes are always red rimmed.”

 

“Curse my beautiful eyes!” Sofiá exclaims as she dramatically shakes a fist, but her smile dies away quickly. “I guess I’m just having a hard time swallowing that you could’ve died.”

 

Penelope groans, “But I didn’t!”

 

“But you could’ve. And then what?” Sofiá mumbles with a scowl. “You fucking dragged me to this stupid school and flipped my world upside down. You don’t get to leave it, alright? You’re supposed to be permanent.”

 

“I know…”

 

“You helped me realize that the love of my life was standing right there waiting for me to pull my head out of my ass.” Sofiá lists. “You taught me all I needed to know about imprinting and what it means. You just...you helped me understand when I was afraid to.”

 

Penelope shrugs, “I’m a regular love guru.”

 

“It’s more than that.” Sofiá shrugs. “You _cared._ You cared enough about Isabella’s feelings and my fears, and you just threw yourself in the middle of it. You brought us together.”

 

“And I’d do it all over again.” Penelope assures her with a lopsided grin. “I’m glad you appreciate what I did, but I’m _okay_. A few bumps and bruises isn’t going to take out the great Penelope Park.”

 

Sofiá chuckles as she grabs her textbook and crosses the room, “Budge up. I need your help with this stupid paper.”

 

-

 

“...yes, I’m fine. Mom, I really am. I’m taking all my pain killers and I’m going to my check ups as ordered. I promise I’m okay. Yes, yes I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you, too. Bye.”

 

Reyna smirks at her, “Worried mama bear?”

 

“Understatement of the year.” Penelope grumbles as she tosses her phone aside. “I mean, I understand the worry but I feel like I haven’t had five seconds to breathe without someone pointing and talking about how I almost died.”

 

“You wouldn’t have died.” Reyna drawls as she flicks through her magazine. “I would’ve changed you, I wouldn’t have let you die.”

 

Penelope pauses, “You would’ve…?”

 

“Yes. Do you really think I’d just let you die? You mean too much to too many people.” Reyna points out. “There wouldn’t have even been a hesitation, Sofiá or I would’ve bit you.”

 

“I...don’t even know how I feel about the idea of that.” Penelope admits as her lips turn down. “I mean, I understand why you would but the idea of it is insane.”

 

“You don’t want to be a blood sucker?” Reyna teases with a fond smile. “I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds, princess.”

 

Penelope arches an eyebrow, “I’d make a badass vamp.”

 

“Oh, for sure.” Reyna nods before her expression sobers. “But, on a...y’know...cheesier level, I’m glad you’re okay. You mean a lot to me.”

 

“Not such a badass vamp, are you?” Penelope smirks, and she barely dodges the magazine Reyna throws at her.

 

-

 

Penelope breathes out a sigh of relief as she approaches Isabella, “Okay. You’re the last one on my victory tour.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Y’know, my victory tour because I survived and everyone is going crazy over it.” Penelope shrugs with a roll of her eyes. “I wanted to talk to you first, but Camz beat you to it.”

 

“We don’t _have_ to talk about it.” Isabella mutters as she twirls her pen nervously. “I mean, I bet you’re tired of having the same conversation.”

 

“Surprisingly, they’ve all been different.” Penelope hums as she drapes herself carefully in the chair across from Isabella. “So, let’s talk about. Get it out, baby wolf.”

 

Isabella winces, “Are you sure?”

 

“Hit me with it.” Penelope nods.

 

“I wanted to kill him.” Isabella admits as she hangs her head in shame. “You were defenseless and he could’ve drained you, I wanted him to suffer. I couldn’t see past my anger.”

 

Penelope reaches for her hand, “Hey, but you controlled yourself. You reeled it in. Yes, Reyna and Sofiá had to pull you off but you could’ve easily fought them. _You_ backed down, you grounded yourself.”

 

“We shouldn’t have let you stay in the clearing, we should’ve taken you somewhere else.” Isabella huffs. “I keep playing it all back and all I can do is pinpoint my mistakes.”

 

“Hey, I went over this with Cameron,” Penelope begins softly. “You can’t change what happened, you can’t stress over it. What’s done is done. I’m okay, I’m here. I’m not a vampire and I’m still hot as hell so this is a win.”

 

Isabella laughs softly, “You’re still you, that’s for sure.”

 

“And that’s not going to change.” Penelope smiles as she squeezes her hand. “I’m still me and I’d appreciate it if everyone else went back to being who they were before all this.”

 

“I’ll try.” Isabella murmurs as she slowly draws her hand away from Penelope’s. “I’m really glad you’re okay, P.”

 

“Me too, Isa.” Penelope sighs. “Me too.”

 

-

 

Penelope is _exhausted_. She’s spent the last week listening to people fawn over here, comforting her friends, and trying to assure her parents that she’s safe at this school. Her shoulders droop as soon as she walks into Josie’s dorm and breathes a sigh of relief when she sees that Lizzie isn’t there. A small noise leaves her as she crosses the room to crawl onto the bed so she can push Josie’s notebook from her lap and instead rest her head on her thigh. Without even asking, Josie buries a hand into her hair and begins to scratch comfortingly at her scalp.

 

“I’m so tired, Jojo.” Penelope whispers.

 

Josie stares down at her, “I imagine that you are. I’ve barely been able to spend longer than two seconds with you, you’ve been pulled every which way. I’m sure that’s exhausting.”

 

“I’m tired of answering peoples questions. I just want everyone to go back to fearing me and steering clear.” Penelope pouts. “It’s so annoying that they just look at me with these big, sympathetic eyes.”

 

“I’m sorry, Penny.”

 

Penelope furrows her brow, “I haven’t even had a chance to really process what happened, I’ve only just began to really feel all my injuries. I feel like everyone is feeling it for me.”

 

Josie bounces her thigh until Penelope gets the hint and sits up with a huff. Immediately, the sadness drifts away as Josie shifts so she can carefully straddle her waist. Penelope smiles tiredly as she reaches up to trace her thumb over Josie’s lip and feels her heart swell when Josie nuzzles into her palm. It’s so comforting, so perfect. As she stares up at her girlfriend, she feels her eyes begin to sting and she blinks in surprise when a warm tear spills down the length of her cheek before a few more follow.

 

Penelope finally cracks, “I almost died.”

 

“I know, babe.” Josie nods as she wipes away as many tears as she can catch. “It could’ve been bad, but it wasn’t. He didn’t find a vein and they were able to get you back to campus on time.”

 

“I could’ve been without you.” Penelope frowns as she tucks her hands up the back of a familiar dark blue sweater. “I could’ve died and not been able to spend the rest of my life with you.”

 

Josie drops her forehead to rest against Penelope’s as tears swim in her own eyes, “But you’re here, and you’re not going anywhere. You’re safe, okay?”

 

“I’m so sorry, Jojo.” Penelope whispers as she closes her eyes. “I should’ve listened to you, I should’ve stayed away from this.”

 

“You hate playing this game.” Josie sniffles, and Penelope opens her eyes in confusion. “You hate playing the should’ve game, you always say you can’t change the past.”

 

Penelope scowls, “Because you can’t.”

 

“Okay. Then don’t try to.” Josie orders as she presses a gentle kiss to Penelope’s lips. “I love you, Penelope.”

 

Those three words make her feel like she’s soaring, they make everything seem worth it. As she stares up at Josie, she realizes how lucky she is to have this girl back in her arms. She threw Josie aside to teach her a lesson, to help her grow, but she forgot to stop and realize that she grew just as much. She has a tiny family of her own, one she built all by herself. She has the girl she loves in her arms again, even though she doesn’t deserve it. She has it _good_ , so she refuses to live in the past.

 

Penelope smiles softly, “I love you, too.”

 

-

 

“...and that’s when I said for him to fuck off!”

 

MG stands just short of behind a wall and lingers with a puppy dog expression. He’s been clean for over a week, and he’s been doing better with being around humans. The only thing he hasn’t gotten around to doing is apologizing to Penelope. He hasn’t had the guts to approach his friend and look her in the eye and tell her he’s sorry for putting her in danger. He doesn’t even know where to begin, there’s so much that he wants to say but so little that can make this situation better.

 

With another glance at the spread of people, he flashes a small smile at the sight of Penelope sitting on the table while Josie is perched on the bench in between her legs. Around them, their friends laugh and carry on with their day. He sees Cameron throwing fries into Sofiá’s mouth and Isabella trying to steal Reyna’s snapback. He even sees Lizzie, so stoic and out of place, attempting to engage Hope in conversation. His body feels achy as he approaches and lingers just a few inches from Penelope. Immediately, the laughter dies away and he can sense the way the defensive walls build around Penelope.

 

“What do you want, MG?” Josie demands as she wraps a protective hand around Penelope’s calf while brushing her thumb over bare skin. “We’re in the middle of lunch.”

 

“You don’t have to lie to the kid.” Sofiá hums as she flashes him a look. “What she means to say is that we don’t want you around.”

 

MG nods, “I understand.”

 

“Then shoo.” Sofiá drawls.

 

“I-I just wanted to apologize first.” MG mumbles as he tries to catch Penelope’s gaze. “P, I am _so_ sorry. I wasn’t in control, I didn’t know what I was doing. I hurt you and I don’t know how to forgive myself for that.”

 

Penelope swallows hard, “It’d be easy for me to just push this aside, to tell you that it’s okay because you were lost in your head. But it _isn’t_ okay, you fed off a human with Kaleb and you snapped. That’s on you.”

 

“I know. I know it is. I regret it, and it’s never going to happen again.” MG assures her. “But it was like feeding off _you_ that one time, remember?”

 

“Penelope wasn’t _compelled_ into that.” Josie scolds with a harsh look. “You killed _twelve_ people, MG. And you almost added my girlfriend to that list...we’re not ready to forgive you.”

 

MG ducks his head, “I understand.”

 

“You should take some time for yourself.” Isabella suggests in a calm, even tone. “Figure out some stuff, do a little soul searching. You’re not entirely cleared of the things you did.”

 

“I know…”

 

“So, maybe you should stay away from her until you are.” Cameron hisses, and he sees the way her eyes flash yellow for a moment. “Get your shit together and _then_ apologize.”

 

“Consider it done.” MG replies. “I uh I’ll leave you guys to your lunch.”

 

MG makes a move towards Penelope and Josie rises to her feet while Cameron vaults herself over the table with a growl. It’s clear that he doesn’t stand a chance of getting near Penelope, and he doesn’t blame them. He made a mistake, and he knows it’s going to take time to fix what he messed up. MG holds his hands up in surrender and gives Penelope one last apologetic nod before he turns on his heel to walk away. Today isn’t his day, but he hopes someday he and Penelope can go back to how they used to be.

 

-

 

Penelope blows out a strong sigh as she stands in the dark hallway of the dorms and stares at the door in front of her. After a moment of consideration, she raises a shaking fist and taps lightly at the door. She closes her eyes as she hears the gentle tap of feet on the opposite side before the door opens and she is met with Josie’s concerned frown. As soon as she looks at her girlfriend, the tears come faster than she can process as she collapses forward into steady arms that cradle her close.

 

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay, baby.” Josie soothes as she guides Penelope into the room. “Talk to me, Penny. What’s wrong?”

 

Penelope sniffles pathetically, “B-Bad dream.”

 

“Oh, baby,” Josie sighs as she pulls back to take in Penelope’s sweat soaked appearance. “Hey, how about we get you changed? You’re sweaty and that can’t be comfortable.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Penelope simply allows Josie to lead her through the dorm room and sit her on the end of the bed. She barely takes notice to hands that guide her yoga pants off and replace them with shorts before her sweat soaked t-shirt is traded in for an oversized sweater that smells of Josie and roses. It calms her senses and she closes her eyes to breathe it in, it calms her. As soon as her clothes are put away, Josie climbs back into bed and lifts the covers so Penelope can crawl up and burrow into her arms.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Penelope nods slowly, “I-I was back in the forest and MG was...he was there and he had you and he...he…”

 

“I’m right here.” Josie assures her as she catches on to Penelope’s thoughts. “MG is fine, he’s getting better. Everything is okay now, Penny. It’s all going to go back to normal soon.”

 

“I don’t even know what normal is anymore. I feel so...different.” Penelope admits. “I don’t know why, I just do.”

 

“Well, you had a near death experience. That’s not something everyone can say they’ve had.” Josie points out. “You’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks, babe. It’s bound to leave a mark.”

 

Penelope huffs, “I don’t like it.”

 

“Of course you don’t. Who would?” Josie scoffs with a small shrug. “But you have _so_ much support, okay? Cameron is here, the rest of the girls are here, and _I’m_ here.”

 

“Yeah. That’s really important.” Penelope whispers with a small lopsided grin. “You know, Camz being there. She’s the most important.”

 

“Oh? Is that right?” Josie demands.

 

“Totally.” Penelope smirks.

 

Penelope laughs softly at the expression on Josie’s face and she basks in the way her girlfriend holds her so protectively. But all good things come to an end, and that end involves Lizzie Saltzman storming into the room and stopping short at the sight before her. Penelope normally has insults to spew or sarcastic comments to make, but she doesn’t even try. She can’t get herself together enough to even try. So, she tucks herself into Josie and allows her eyes to flutter shut in order to ignore the way Lizzie stomps through the room.

 

“Oh my God.” Lizzie groans as she tosses her towel into the hamper. “Why is She Who Shall Not Be Named in my room right now?”

 

“She’s staying with me for the night.” Josie declares as Penelope lay in silence. “She had a bad dream so I invited her to stay.”

 

“Oh? I wasn’t aware that satan’s spawn had dreams at all.” Lizzie snorts. “I figured you’d be too busy plotting murders and ways to ruin my life, you evil hag.”

 

“Don’t talk to her like that.” Josie snaps as she combs her fingers through Penelope’s hair. “She’s done _nothing_ wrong, Lizzie. She’s scared. Why are you always so mean?”

 

Lizzie startles at the accusation, “Why is it that we’re fighting about her _again_?”

 

“She’s my girlfriend, Lizzie. I love her.” Josie hisses as she glares at her sister. “Just accept that, and if you can’t then too bad. We don’t need this from you.”

 

“You know what?” Lizzie scoffs as she stands and gathers a blanket and pillow. “I’m going to go crash with dad, at least I know he cares about me.”

 

Josie is silent as she watches her sister storm out of the room, “She is the most dramatic person I have _ever_ known.”

 

“You’re not going to chase her?” Penelope asks in a quiet voice.

 

“No. You need me here.” Josie shrugs as she glances down into dark eyes. “She can be as angry as she wants, I’m not leaving your side. Not when you’re afraid or upset.”

 

Penelope softens in adoration, “I don’t know why I ever left you, Josette Saltzman. You are my dream come true.”

 

“Well, you’re back and I’m not letting you go anywhere this time.” Josie chirps, and she laughs quietly as Penelope yawns. “Hey, you’re okay here. Go to sleep.”

 

Penelope smiles as she nuzzles her face into the crook of Josie’s neck, “So, you planning to watch me sleep?”

 

“Probably.” Josie whispers as she tightens her arms around her girlfriend. “Just want to make sure you don’t have any nightmares.”

 

“My only nightmare is waking up to find you not beside me.” Penelope admits, and she hums happily as lips press to her hairline. “I love you, Jojo. Thank you for holding me.”

 

“I love you, too.” Josie replies softly. “And that’s why I plan to hold you forever. Is that okay with you?”

 

Penelope feels her eyes getting heavy, “It’s more than okay with me.”

 

Penelope drifts off in the safety of Josie’s arms, the one and only place she’ll ever want to be.

**Author's Note:**

> Head to my Tumblr to see what Isabella, Sofiá, Cameron, and Reyna look like ;) my Tumblr is comebackbehere23


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